WELCOME TO MAMADRAMA: Building Buzz Without the Drama

After an agonizingly long wait and a devastating hurricane, New York theatregoers finally have a Sandy they can be excited to see: The optimistic little orphan who has long stolen America’s heart and her trusty canine sidekick are belting it out at the Palace Theatre on Broadway and the momosphere/blogosphere is clamoring for tickets.  Several members of the MamaDrama network took their kids to see the sun come out during ANNIE previews.  Here’s what they had to say:

Liz Gumbinner from CoolMomPicks.com exclaims, “The Sun is out, 

People” and had this to say about how relevant this depression-era classic is for today’s American family:

“As a parent, there's a whole lot you'll want to explain to your kids beforehand to varying, age-appropriate degrees: the Great Depression, FDR's New Deal, why people are squatting under the Manhattan Bridge, and of course, why girls with no parents were treated so badly by an alcoholic caretaker. I must say, some of it hit a wee bit close to home in wake of the recent recession, and the effects of Hurricane Sandy just a subway ride away from the theater.”

Tabitha Bernard from Vera Sweeney’s LadyandtheBlog.com calls ANNIE “A Must See for the Holidays” had praise:

“If you have a tween kid, this is a must-see for the holiday season. Actually, this is must-see for the holiday season, no matter who you are.”

Holly Rosen Fink from TheCultureMom.com calls the show “A Salute to Musical Theatre and New York City,” and felt confident sharing ANNIE with her daughter:

“Not only is this story one from my childhood and one that I introduced to my kids several years ago, but it’s a story with meaning and purpose.  I like that it tells the story about an innocent girl in search of her real parents and her strong desire to be loved.  We all need to stop and take a look at what we have and be grateful.”

Holly goes on to highlight the significance of a show like ANNIE for New York in 2012:

“I also think that this is a show that NYC can use right now.  We need the sun to come out tomorrow.  We’ve had a tough few weeks and it’s not getting easier.  There’s nothing wrong with a night on the town for any of us right now, to take our mind off the tragedy that struck us in our beloved city and beyond.  It’s not a tragedy that we can or should forget, but a distraction won’t hurt anyone.”

Melissa Chapman from The Staten Island Family writes, "The story of Annie is timeless; the little orphan girl with an optimistic big hearted outlook on life- STILL captures hearts and the sets themselves manage to invoke the 1930′s both dilapidated depression era millieu and the contrasting glitzy mansion of millionaire daddy Warbucks’ digs brilliantly and bring to life this reimagined Broadway stage production for a new generation. And the best part of all Annie’s best fur buddy Sandy comes along for the ride".

Ellen Seidman from Love That Max had big kuddos for the cast: "I loved watching Sabrina watching the show. The new Annie, Lilla Crawford, has an absolutely incredible voice. The orphan crew was charming and the youngest, Molly, ultra adorable; Sabrina particularly liked seeing her prancing around in Miss Hannigan's bodice stuffed with tissue paper. I'm always partial to Miss Hanigan; actress Katie Finneran was deliciously awful."

Heidi Leder from C2C Mom was equally impressed. "ANNIE the musical delivered pure enjoyment. The characters I remembered from my childhood embodied the lyrics and era. I remain in awe of the ability of the kid and teen actors to nail their performances and lines both on their own and as the ensemble of orphans. They rocked their comedic timing, physical humor and vocals.  And Sandy! The rescue dogs performed so well, and created aisle-to-aisle smiles throughout the audience when they appeared on stage."

Our own BroadwayWorld Jr also posted about ANNIE.  Keep checking back for more blogging buzz on ANNIE, and check out the show’s website for more info or to purchase tickets.